Five Reasons Why Dogs Urinate In The House

Written and verified by the vet Juan Pedro Vazquez Espeso

Last update: 21 December, 2022

Dogs aren’t toys, which is obvious to any animal lover. As living beings, they eat, cry, sometimes misbehave, and have to relieve themselves. Normally, they use the street or garden as a bathroom when they need to. However, there are certain circumstances when dogs urinate in the house.

Did you know that there are some specific reasons why dogs urinate at home? Also, did you know there are actually some diseases that can lead to this unwanted behavior? Read on to find out about the most common reasons behind this behavior.

Why do dogs urinate in the house?

The root of this behavior is based on three principles:

• Lack of training: When a dog isn’t clear about the right place to relieve themselves, they may urinate in the house because they think this is the right thing to do.
• Behavioral problems: This is similar to the previous situation but, in this case, the animal understands that they shouldn’t relieve themselves inside. However, anxiety disorders or fears can cause them to do so anyway.
• Health problems: Any physical disorder that causes the dog to have a difficult time holding in urine and an increase in production and therefore, an increased need to urinate.

Following these premises, we’re going to explain the reasons behind this undesirable behavior.

Puppies: Young animals aren’t used to urinating outside

In these cases, the dog isn’t aware of where they have to relieve themselves. Therefore, they urinate or defecate inside the house. In puppies and young animals, it’s a normal problem that resolves itself over time.

However, these dogs, as they grow, learn to control their bowels, and understand that the right place to relieve themselves is outside.

On the other hand, older dogs can also urinate in the house if they’ve never been trained properly. It’s usually an easily resolved issue, although it requires a little more training and effort on the part of the owners to be able to re-educate the animal.

Behavioral problems

There are several disorders of this type that can cause the appearance of this behavior. For example:

• Anxiety problems, such as those produced by separation
• Fears or phobias, for example of loud noises
• Excitement, when the animal is happy to see a visitor
• Marking territory
  

To solve the problem, it’s best to assess the psychological state of the animal and propose an appropriate behavior modification treatment.

Reasons why dogs urinate in the house: Pharmacological treatments

The administration of certain medications can increase urine production or water intake, which leads to an increased need to urinate. As a result, the dog may not be able to wait until their next walk and go inside the house.

Some of the drugs that can lead to this condition are the following:

• Diuretics: Logically, their function is to produce more urine so it’s common for dogs subjected to this kind of treatment to urinate at home.
• Corticosteroids: These can cause an increase in water intake, which leads to increased urine production.

Urinary diseases

There are many conditions of the urinary system that can produce a situation where the dogs urinate in the house. Any disorder involving this system, as it’s the main one in charge of regulating the production of urine, can modify its production.

For example, some of the most common diseases are the following:

• Renal insufficiency: Animals with kidney problems may be unable to retain urine so these dogs often urinate inside the house.
• Urinary infection: Similarly to humans, these infections produce a painful sensation during urination. Dogs, when faced with this pain, don’t empty their bladders correctly during their walks and often find themselves needing to urinate at home.

Reasons why dogs urinate in the house: Hormonal diseases

In addition to the urinary system, the endocrine system is also actively involved in regulating the amount of urine produced. Therefore, endocrine diseases can also be behind this behavior. Some of the most common in dogs are the following:

• Diabetes
• Cushing’s syndrome, characterized by the excessive appearance of the hormone cortisol
• Hypothyroidism, a thyroid gland malfunction

In conclusion, given the variety and number of reasons that can cause this behavior, we recommend going to the veterinarian to correctly evaluate the cause of your dog urinating at home.

Instead of looking at the wet carpet as a reason for anger, we should interpret it as an indication that the dog’s health might be at risk.